No.  2 


UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  DAKOTA 
DEPARTMENTAL  BULLETIN 


Plant  Relations  in  North  Dakota 

BY 

DR.  MELVIN  R.  GILMORE 

Curator  of  State  Historical  Society 


| EXTENSION  DIVISION  : BULLETIN  NO.  28 

Educational  Pamphlet  Series,  No.  i 

Published  Bi-Monthly  by  the  University  of  North  Dakota 

Entered  at  University  Post  Office.  Grand  Forks,  North  Dakota,  as  second 
class  matter  under  Act  of  Congress  of  August  29,  1912.  Acceptance 
for  mailing  at  special  rate  of  postage  provided  for  in  Section  1103. 
Act  of  October  3,  1917,  authorized  May  5.  1920. 

P 


2 NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 

When  we  think  of  the  physical  conditions  of  North  Dakota  as 
they  are  at  the  present  time  we  must  remember  that  they  have  not 
always  been  the  same.  Even  before  man  had  produced  the  changes 
which  he  has  produced  in  her  landscape,  there  had  been  many  and 
great  changes  in  the  land  and  water  forms  and  in  the  resident  forms 
of  plant  and  animal  life.  These  changes  had  been  going  on  regu- 
larly through  hundreds  of  thousands  of  years  before  man  appeared. 

The  vast  region  of  the  Great  Plains  was  formerly  a great  sea. 
Into  this  sea  flowed  rivers  from  the  lands  on  the  east  and  the  west 
carrying  their  loads  of  sand  and  silt.  This  deposit  of  silt  and  sand 
was  built  into  the  sedimentary  rock  of  the  sea  bottom.  By  suc- 
cessive emergence  and  submergence  the  region  was  alternately  land 
and  sea. 

Finally  the  land  rose  and  was  submerged  no  more.  It  was  now 
a vast  expanse  of  swampy  land  and  of  lakes.  Into  this  region  vege- 
tation came,  such  as  was  suited  to  the  natural  conditions.  So  for 
long  ages  the  vegetation  flourished.  In  the  great  marshes  the  vege- 
tation year  after  year  fell  and'  was  covered  by  the  water  of  the 
marsh,  which  prevented  its  decay.  In  this  way  the  great  lignite  coal 
beds  were  formed. 

But  in  time  a strange  age-long  winter  came  over  all  the  land. 
Arctic  conditions  prevailed;  snow  did  not  melt  from  year  to  year,  but 
continued  to  accumulate.  Finally  a slowly  moving  mass  of  ice, 
a continental  glacier,  advanced  from  the  north,  coming  as  far 
as  some  distance  beyond  the  present  course  of  the  Missouri  river. 

As  gradually  as  this  glaciation  had  come  on,  so  gradually  it 
receded,  just  as  autumn,  winter  and  spring  come  now  each  year. 
But  the  coming,  the  continuance,  and  the  recession  of  the  ice  of 
the  age-long  winter  occupied  many  thousands  or  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  years.  And  there  was  not  only  one  but  several  of  these 
age-long  winters  with  consequent  advance  and  intermittent  recession 
of  the  great  ice-cap  over  the  land. 

Most  of  what  is  now  North  Dakota  was  thus  covered  in  those 
times  with  a mass  of  ice  many  thousands  of  feet  in  thickness.  This 
slowly  moving  mass  by  its  great  weight  crushed  and  broke  away 
masses  of  rock  which  were  left  in  the  form  of  boulders  strewn  over 
the  land  when  the  ice  finally  retreated  for  the  last  time. 

As  the  great  cold  season  drew  to  an  end  the  ice  cap  gradually 
melted  away  along  its  front  and  so  receded  towards  the  north.  After 
the  ice  thus  receded  vegetation  began  to  move  in  and  take  posses- 
sion of  the  land  once  more,  just  as  we  may  see  vegetation  now  taking 
possession  of  the  land  close  up  to  the  edges  of  the  continental 
glacier  in  Greenland  and  of  the  mountain  glaciers  in  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains of  America  and  the  Alps  of  Switzerland. 

In  the  coming  in  of  vegetation  there  has  been  from  the  first  a 
constant  succession  of  species.  Plant  population  has  been,  and  is, 
a constant  stream  of  life,  ever  changing.  We  may  compare  the  move- 
ment of  plant  species  over  the  lands  and  waters  to  the  movements 
of  human  beings.  They  come  and  go.  Certain  species  and  asso- 
ciations of  species  are  suited  to  primitive  harsh  conditions.  They 
move  in  and  settle  in  the  land.  By  their  growth  throughout  a period 
of  time  they  bring  about  changes  in  the  soil  which  make  it  suitable 
to  the  growth  of  various  other  plant  species  which  now  come  in  as 
later  settlers.  Thus  the  complex  of  plant  associations  is  changed, 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


3 


never  suddenly,  but  gradually  over  longer  or  shorter  periods  of  time. 

The  coming  of  vegetation  now  makes  possible  the  subsistence  of 
certain  species  of  birds  and  mammals.  These,  in  turn,  bring  about 
further  changes  in  the  vegetation.  Thus  the  inweaving  of  the  lines 
of  floral  and  faunal  life  become  ever  more  complex.  Birds  and  mam- 
mals have  helped  in  the  dissemination  and  wide  distribution  of  plant 
species.  Then  in  time  came  man  upon  the  scene,  and  he,  both  pur- 
posely and  undesignedly  made  further  changes  in  the  plant  distribu- 
tion. 

Examples  of  the  purposeful  activity  of  man  in  plant  distribution 
may  be  cited  in  the  case  of  the  crops  cultivated  by  Indian  tribes  from 
prehistoric  to  immediately  recent  times  over  the  larger  part  of  the 
arable  portions  of  North  America.  These  activities  included  por- 
tions of  what  is  now  the  state  of  North  Dakota,  notably  the  alluvial 
valleys  of  the  Missouri  River  and  of  its  tributaries. 

The  food  crops  here  grown  by  the  farmers  of  various  Indian 
nations  in  the  region  of  the  upper  Missouri  River,  notably  the  Ank- 
ara and  the  Mandan,  were  corn,  beans,  squashes  and  pumpkins,  and 
sunflowers.  All  these  except  sunflowers  are  of  tropical  origin.  The 
wild  ancestors  of  corn,  beans,  squashes  and  pumpkins  were  native 
in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  There  they  were  brought  into  cul- 
tivation by  the  Indian  tribes  of  that  region  ages  ago.  The  advantages 
attaching  to  the  cultivation  of  these  crops  were  recognized  by  neigh- 
boring tribes  and  they  obtained  seed  of  them  and  still  further  ex- 
tended their  cultivation.  Thus  they  were  carried  from  tribe  to 
tribe,  farther  and  farther  from  their  place  of  origin,  becoming  grad- 
ually acclimatized  during  the  time  of  many  generations,  until  finally 
they  were  cultivated  throughout  all  the  country  as  far  northwards 
as  the  region  of  the  upper  Missouri  River  and  the  Great  Lakes  and 
the  St.  Lawrence  River. 

This  was  the  situation,  then,  in  regard  to  cultivated  crops,  when 
white  men  first  came  to  North  America.  Corn  had  been  developed 
by  the  Indians  throughout  the  long  ages  into  five  types,  namely, 
flint  corn,  flour  corn,  sweet  corn,  pop  corn  and  dent  corn.  Of  these 
five  types  three,  namely,  flint  corn,  flour  corn  and  sweet  corn,  were 
cultivated  by  the  Arikaras,  Mandans  and  Hidatsa  on  the  upper  Mis- 
souri River.  And  they  cultivated  numerous  varieties  of  each  of 
these  types,  especially  of  the  flour  corn  type.  They  also  cultivated 
numerous  varieties  of  beans  and  of  squashes. 

The  sunflower  (Helianthus  annuus)  is  native  of  the  western 
plains  region  of  North  America.  It  is  probable  that  they  were  first 
brought  into  cultivation  by  the  tribes  of  the  region  of  the  Kansas 
and  Platte  Rivers.  From  these  the  cultivated  sunflower  was  dis- 
seminated throughout  all  the  region  from  its  place  of  origin  on  the 
western  plains  to  the  Atlantic  coast  and  to  the  St.  Lawrence. 

Among  the  gifts  of  the  American  Indian  to  the  storehouse  of  the 
world  we  must  count  corn,  beans,  squashes  and  sunflowers,  for  none 
of  these  crops  were  knjwn  prior  to  the  European  discovery  of 
America. 

Since  corn,  beans,  and  squashes  all  are  of  tropical  origin,  and 
have  become  acclimatized  in  regions  of  the  temperate  zone  only  by 
gradual  adjustment  to  varying  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  through 
long  periods  of  time,  it  stands  to  reason  that  those  varieties  which 
local  tribes  have  been  cultivating  in  any  given  region  are  likely  to 


4 NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 

be  more  successful  in  that  region  than  other  varieties  which  we  bring 
in  from  regions  of  different  climatic  conditions.  Therefore  it  would 
be  the  part  of  wisdom  for  farmers  of  North  Dakota  to  obtain  seed 
for  their  own  planting  from  the  stock  of  seed  of  these  crops  which 
have  been  cultivated  here  already  for  many  hundreds  of  years.  Such 
a course  would  assure  perfect  hardiness  and  fullest  adaptation  to 
local  conditions. 

Besides  these  agricultural  crops  which  were  cultivated  by  the 
aboriginal  tribes  of  this  region,  they  also  made  use  of  many  of  the 
native  plants.  Among  the  economic  uses  in  which  they  employed 
plants  or  plant  products  may  be  named  food  products,  fibers  and 
fabrics,  perfumes,  dyestuffs,  articles  for  the  requirements  of  reli- 
gious ceremonies,  for  domestic  utensils  and  instruments,  and  many 
other  uses. 

Most  of  the  cultivated  crops  which  are  familiar  to  us,  aside  from 
the  comparatively  few  which  we  have  adopted  from  Indian  culture, 
were  reduced  to  cultivation  in  prehistoric  times  in  the  region  sur- 
rounding the  Mediterranean  Sea  from  wild  plants  native  there,  which 
is  the  region  where  arose  our  form  of  civilization.  Most  of  our  cul- 
tivated grains  and  grasses,  our  fruits  and  vegetables,  are  derived  by 
cultivation  and  selective  breeding  from  ancestral  forms  which  grew 
wild  in  Europe,  North  Africa  and  Asia  Minor. 

It  would  seem  to  be  worth  while  to  make  experiments  in  the 
domestication  of  some  of  the  fruits  and  vegetables  native  to  our 
state.  We  do  not  know  their  possibilities.  We  do  know  that  the 
wild  ancestors  of  the  cultivated  fruits  and  vegetables  which  we  have 
brought  with  us  from  the  old  world  were  no  more  promising  in  the 
beginning  than  many  of  the  wild  fruits  and  vegetables  which  are 
native  to  this  country. 

As  a matter  of  fact  Prof.  N.  E.  Hansen,  horticulturist  of  the 
State  Agricultural  College  of  South  Dakota  has  done  some  good  work 
in  selective  breeding  and  hybridising  of  some  of  our  native  wild 
fruits.  He  has  done  some  notable  work  with  the  native  sand  cherry 
(Prunus  besseyi)  and  with  the  native  plums.  (Prunus  americana) 

There  are  numerous  wild  fruits  which  might  very  well  repay 
experimentation  in  cultivation  and  breeding.  Besides  the  wild  plum 
and  the  sand-cherry  just  mentioned  there  are  also  the  native  red 
raspberries,  (Rubus  strigosus)  gooseberries,  (Ribes  gracile)  red  cur- 
rants (Ribes  triste)  and  black  currants,  (Ribes  americanum)  buf- 
falo berries,  (Lepargyraea  argentea)  choke  cherries.  (Padus  melano- 
carpa)  pin  cherries,  (Prunus  pennsylvanica)  June  berries,  (Amelan- 
chier  alnifolia)  pembinas,  (Viburnum  opulus)  and  eye-berries  (Rubus 
triflorus)  There  are  also  two  species  of  native  strawberries  (Fragaria 
virginiana)  and  (Fragaria  americana)  which  might  be  useful  for 
hybridisation  work  in  producing  desirable  new  varieties  for  cultiva- 
tion. 

The  name  of  one  of  the  berries  mentioned  above,  the  pembina, 
is  of  special  interest  because  it  originated  in  North  Dakota  and  is 
fixed  upon  the  map  of  North  Dakota  as  a geographical  name,  the 
name  of  a river,  a mountain,  a county  and  a town.  This  berry  is 
also  called  “high-bush  cranberry but  it  is  not  at  all  like  a cran- 
berry except  that  it  is  acidulous  in  taste  and  red  in  colour.  And 
there  are  many  other  fruits,  which  in  common  with  the  cranberry 
are  also  red  and  sour,  notably  the  buffalo  berry.  However,  the 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


5 


pembina  is  not  in  any  way  related  to  the  cranberry,  and  botanically 
the  two  have  no  resemblance.  The  name  pembina  results  from  the 
white  man’s  corruption  of  pronunciation  of  the  name  which  this 
berry  has  in  the  Chippewa  language,  which  is  nepin  minan,  the  word 
nepin  meaning  summer  and  the  word  minan  meaning  berry.  So 
nepin  minan  has  been  corrupted  to  pembina  on  the  white  man’s 
tongue. 

The  hazel-nut  is  the  only  nut  native  to  North  Dakota.  There  are 
two  species  of  hazel-nut  (Corylus  americana)  and  (Corylus  rostrata) 
native  in  North  America,  and  both  these  species  are  found  in  the 
Pembina  Mountains  and  in  the  Turtle  Mountains.  One  species  is 
also  found  in  some  of  the  ravines  among  the  hills  along  the  course 
of  the  Missouri  River. 

The  filbert  of  commerce  is  a cultivated  form  of  an  Old  World 
species  of  the  hazel-nut.  It  might  be  well  for  us  to  cultivate  selec- 
tions from  our  native  hazel-nuts. 

Our  native  wild  grape  (Vitis  vulpina)  might  repay  experiments 
in  selective  breeding  and  cultivation.  The  Concord  grape  is  a de- 
velopment by  selective  breeding  of  native  wild  grapes  at  Concord, 
Massachusetts.  All  other  varieties  of  grapes  grown  in  the  eastern 
part  of  the  United  States  are  also  from  native  stock.  No  Old 
World  grapes  are  grown  in  the  United  States  except  in  California. 

There  are  also  certain  native  plants  having  roots,  tubers,  or 
seeds  useful  for  food,  which  might  well  repay  selective  breeding  to 
add  to  our  list  of  garden  vegetables.  One  of  these  is  tipsin.  (Psor- 
alea  esculenta)  The  name  which  I have  given  this  plant,  tipsin,  is 
derived  by  adaptation  from  the  name  of  this  plant  in  the  Dakota 
language.  Mention  of  it  may  be  found  in  the  writings  of  the  early 
explorers  and  traders  under  the  name  by  which  it  was  called  by  the 
French,  which  is  “pomme  blanche,”  or  “pomme  de  prairie.”  Tipsin 
is  an  approximation  to  the  name  in  the  Dakota  language,  as  near 
as  an  English  speaking  tongue  would  make  it.  This  plant  belongs 
to  the  Bean  Family,  the  botanical  family  which  has  furnished  so  many 
useful  plants.  The  part  of  the  tipsin  plant  which  is  used  is 
the  root.  The  root  contains  a store  of  food  materials,  starch, 
sugar  and  proteid.  The  plant  grows  in  a widely  extended  range 
over  all  the  western  plains  in  the  United  States  and  Canada.  It  was 
a very  important  item  to  the  food  supply  of  all  the  prairie  tribes. 
It  is  possible  it  would  be  a very  useful  addition  to  our  list  of  garden 
vegetables,  and  might  be  improved  by  cultivation. 

Tipsin  is  a low,  bushy,  herbaceous  plant,  perennial  by  the  stor- 
age root,  which  is  about  the  size  of  an  egg.  The  plant  is  hairy,  the 
leaves  are  trifoliate,  the  flowers  are  in  close  racemes,  bluish  in 
colour,  and  of  the  familiar  bean-blossom  form.  The  plant  body 
is  branched.  Because  of  this  characteristic  the  women  when  gath- 
ering them,  and  having  their  children  with  them  to  hunt  for  the 
plants,  would  say  to  the  children,  “Now,  notice  that  they  point  to 
each  other  with  their  arms.  Here  is  one,  now  notice  the  directions 
in  which  its  arms  are  pointing  and  you  will  find  others.”  So  the 
children  would  look  for  the  plants,  and  of  course,  if  they  followed 
in  any  direction  pointed  by  a branch  of  the  plant,  and  kept  close 
watch,  they  would  find  another. 

Another  native  plant  of  the  Bean  Family  which  was  of  much 
food  value  to  the  tribes  over  the  most  part  of  North  America,  in- 


6 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


eluding  North  Dakota,  is  the  ground  bean.  (Falcata  comosa)  It  is 
possible  this  might  be  a very  useful  plant  if  brought  into  culti- 
vation. 

The  native  prairie  sunflower  has  been  mentioned  already  as 
the  ancestor  of  our  cultivated  sunflower. 

Another  plant  of  this  same  genus  which  was  of  use  to  the  tribes 
as  a food  plant,  is  the  tuberous  sunflower,  (Helianthus  tuberosa) 
the  so-called  “ Jerusalem  artichoke.”  The  tubers  were  used  for  food 
and  for  this  purpose  it  was  cultivated  by  the  eastern  tribes.  It 
is  also  cultivated  to  some  extent  at  the  present  time  in  the  east,  and 
can  be  obtained  in  the  vegetable  markets  of  eastern  cities.  It 
grows  wild  in  abundance  in  our  state. 

One  of  the  most  useful  of  native  food  plants  is  wild  rice.  (Ziz- 
ania aquatica)  This  grows  in  some  places  in  North  Dakota,  but 
still  more  in  the  lake  regions  of  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  Michigan  and 
Ontario.  It  ought  to  be  disseminated  in  all  the  fresh  water  lakes 
of  our  state.  It  will  not  grow  in  alkaline  waters. 

The  common  big  milkweed,  (Asclepias  syriaca,)  is  a useful  food 
plant.  It  was  commonly  used  by  the  people  of  all  the  tribes  who 
lived  in  the  range  of  this  plant.  The  plant  is  useful  for  cooking 
in  five  stages  of  its  growth,  and  is  well  liked,  not  only  by  Indians, 
but  by  white  people  who  have  learned  its  usefulness  and  good 
flavour.  In  springtime  the  young  tender  sprouts  are  cooked  in 
manner  like  asparagus;  later,  the  leaves  are  cooked  for  greens  so 
long  as  they  are  young  and  tender,  then  the  bud  clusters  are  cooked 
and  are  as  tender  as  the  finest  cauliflower.  After  the  seedpods  are 
formed,  but  before  they  have  approached  maturity,  they  are  also 
cooked. 

The  tribes  inhabiting  the  regions  where  the  maple  tree  grows 
made  sugar  from  its  sap,  and  the  tribes  of  the  region  of  North  Da- 
kota obtained  some  sugar  from  them  by  intertribal  trade.  But 
they  also  made  sugar  themselves  to  some  extent  from  the  sap  of  the 
boxelder,  (Acer  negundo.)  The  boxelder  tree  was  the  only  native 
source  of  sugar  in  North  Dakota  and  all  the  region  of  the  upper 
Missouri  River. 

Acorns  were  used  for  food.  To  rid  them  of  the  tannin  which 
gives  them  a bitter  taste,  the  acorns  were  cooked  with  lye  made 
from  wood  ashes.  Then  they  were  thoroughly  washed  free  from 
the  lye  and  so  made  a nutritious  and  palatable  article  of  food. 

Several  fungous  plants  were  used  for  food  by  Indians.  Morels, 
which  grow  about  decaying  stumps  in  the  woods,  are  most  delicious. 
The  meadow  mushroom  also  is  good,  and  so  is  the  elm-cap,  a fungus 
which  grows  upon  dead  wood  of  elm  trees  and  boxelders. 

Corn  smut,  when  it  first  appears,  while  white  and  solid,  is  good 
food,  being  cooked  in  a vegetable  stew. 

Indians  made  a hot  aqueous  beverage  like  tea  from  the  leaves 
of  Various  species  of  plants.  The  young  leaves  of  the  raspberry 
were  so  used;  they  also  made  a hot  drink  from  the  leaves  of  native 
mint.  (Mentha  canadense,)  and  from  the  leaves  of  wild  anise,  (Ag- 
astache  anethiodora.)  Native  mint  was  also  used  as  a flavour  in 
cooking  meat,  especially  for  the  flesh  of  the  deer. 

But  it  is  not  only  of  the  utilization  of  our  native  food  plants 
that  we  should  think.  Man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone.  Beauty 
is  a form  of  refreshment  of  the  soul,  and  we  should  take  heed 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


7 


to  the  conservation  of  the  natural  beauty  of  our  state.  There  are 
many  species  of  our  native  flowers  of  woodland  and  prairie  which 
should  be  brought  into  cultivation  in  our  gardens  and  parks.  Many 
of  our  native  shrubs  and  vines  and  also  of  the  native  grasses  are 
very  desirable  for  decorative  planting. 

All  the  wild  fruits  already  mentioned  are  suitable  for  domestic 
planting  in  certain  situations  for  decorative  purposes.  Besides  those 
there  are  numerous  other  species,  including  three  species  of  wild 
roses,  the  thorn-apple  or  haw-thorn,  (Crataegus  chrysocarpa)  the 
lead  plant,  (Amorpha  canescens)  kinnikinnick,  (Cornus  stolonifera) 
sheep-berry,  (Viburnum  lentago)  wolf-berry  or  badger  berry ( Sym- 
phoricarpos  occidentals ) snow-berry  (Symphoricarpos  racemosus) 
and  the  honey-suckle.  (Lonicera  dioica) 

Of  vines  we  have  the  clematis  or  virgin’s  bower,  (Clematis  lig- 
usticifolia)  bittersweet.  (Celastrus  scandens)  Virginia  creeper, 
(Parthenocissus  quinquefolia)  wild  grape,  (Vitis  vulpina)  wild  cu- 
cumber (Micrampelis  lobata)  and  hop  vine.  (Humulus  lupulus) 

There  are  many  beautiful  wild  flowers  native  on  our  prairies 
and  in  the  woods  which  are  readily  grown  in  domestication.  Among 
these  may  be  named  the  wild  columbine,  (Aquilegia  canadensis) 
which  grows  in  some  wooded  ravines  along  the  Missouri  River,  in  the 
Turtle  Mountains,  the  Pembina  Mountains  and  about  Sully’s  Hill. 
The  white  larkspur  (Delphinium  virescens)  of  the  prairie  is  found 
in  the  eastern  part  of  the  state.  The  beautiful  white  anemone 
(Anemone  canadensis)  is  found  in  moist  situations  widely  distrbuted 
throughout  the  state. 

The  pasque  flower  (Pulsatilla  patens)  abounds  throughout  the 
state  on  dry  prairies.  It  is  the  earliest  flower  to  bloom  in  spring- 
time, often  appearing  before  all  snow  is  gone.  Its  bluish-purple 
flowers  gladden  the  bare  brown  hillsides  with  great  profusion  of 
bloom,  an  earnest  of  returning  life.  For  this  reason  it  has  a strong 
hold  upon  the  affections  of  the  people  of  all  the  native  tribes 
throughout  all  its  extended  range.  This  plant  is  closely  related  to 
the  anemone,  which  is  sometimes  called  the  wind  flower.  The  peo- 
ple of  the  Dakota  nation  have  a pretty  little  folk  story  concerning  the 
pasque  flower.  The  story  is  that  in  the  long  ago,  whenever  any  of 
the  people  happened  to  pass  by  one  of  these  flowers  it  tried  to 
show  the  friendliness  which  it  felt  for  human  beings  by  nodding  its 
head  in  the  chilly  wind,  smiling  and  saying,  “Good  morning!  good 
morning!”  But  the  people  passed  it  by  unheeding.  It  became 
abashed  at  this  treatment,  so  nowadays,  when  people  are  going 
by  it  turns  its  head  to  one  side  as  it  nods  its  head  and  calls  its 
kindly  greeting  in  its  sweet  low  voice. 

There  are  several  species  of  native  violets  in  woodland,  meadow 
and  dry  upland  prairie.  The  pink  oxalis  (Oxalis  violacea)  delights 
in  sandy  soil,  and  is  delicately  beautiful.  On  the  dry  prairies  the 
beautiful  heavenly  blue  wild  flax  (Linum  perenne)  abounds.  This 
plant  blossoms  profusely  and  thrives  wonderfully  when  cultivated. 

There  are  three  species  of  gentian  native  in  the  northeastern 
part  of  the  state.  There  are  four  native  species  of  pentstemon,  all 
showy  and  well  suited  to  garden  planting.  The  meadow  phlox  (Phlox 
pilosa)  is  a showy  and  profuse  bloomer.  The  ground  phlox  (Phlox 
hoodii)  and  (Phlox  douglasii)  is  pure  white  and  suited  for  growing 
in  low  borders.  The  native  meadow  strawberries  are  beautiful  as 


8 NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 

flowering  plants  and  the  fruit  is  also  beautiful  and  fragrant  and  very 
delicious  in  flavour. 

Blue  lupines  (Lupinus  pusillus)  and  purple-flowered  buffalo 
peas  (Geoprumnon  crassicarpum)  may  well  be  cultivated.  There 
are  several  species  of  the  evening  primrose  family,  and  all  are  suit- 
able for  cultivation. 

Two  species  of  cactus  on  the  dry  prairies  have  beautiful  flowers, 
one,  the  prickly  pear,  (Opuntia  polycantha)  has  large  yellow  flowers 
of  delicate  satiny  texture;  the  other,  the  ball  cactus,  (Coryphantha 
vivipara)  has  flowers  of  rosy  colour. 

In  autumn  we  have  several  species  of  goldenrod  and  of  asters. 
There  is  also  the  native  golden-glow.  (Rudbeckia  laciniata) 

One  of  our  common  native  prairie  flowers,  gaillardia,  (Gail- 
lardia  aristata)  has  belen  brougiht  into  cultivation  and  has  re- 
sponded by  greatly  increased  size  and  variation  of  colouring. 

A very  beautiful  flower  is  the  spiderwort,  (Tradescantia  brac- 
teata)  and  (Tradescantia  occidentalis)  deep  blue  in  colour,  delicate 
and  graceful  in  habit  of  growth.  It  thrives  wonderfully  in  cultiva- 
tion. It  likes  sandy  soil  and  is  widely  distributed  in  the  prairies, 
wherever  there  is  a sandy  loam.  The  western  prairies  have  no 
more  enchantingly  beautiful  flower  than  this  one  when  it  is  spark- 
ling with  dewdrops  in  the  beams  of  the  rising  sun.  There  is  about 
it  a suggestion  of  purity,  freshness  and  daintiness. 

There  is  a pretty  conceit  in  the  folklore  of  the  Dakota  nation 
concerning  this  flower.  When  a young  m&n  of  the  Dakota  nation  is 
in  love,  and  walking  alone  on  the  prairie  finds  the  spiderwort  bloom- 
ing, he  stops  and  sings  to  it  a song  in  which  he  personifies  it  with 
the  qualities  of  his  sweethearts  character  as  they  are  called  to  his 
mind  by  the  aspect  of  the  flower.  Its  gracefulness  of  form,  its  dain- 
tiness and  shyness  and  fresh  beauty  suggesting  her  personal  grace 
and  her  mental  charm.  In  his  mind  the  beauties  of  the  flower  and  of 
the  girl  are  mutually  transmuted,  and  flow  together  into  one  image. 

The  words  of  his  song,  translated  from  the  Dakota  language 
into  the  English,  are  something  like  this: 

“Tiny,  gladsome  flower, 

So  cheerful  and  modest, 

Thou  are  dear  and  sweet, 

And  for  love  of  thee  Fd  die.” 

In  moist  places  in  valleys  and  in  depressions  of  the  prairie  the 
brilliant  flame  lily  abounds  over  almost  all  of  North  Dakota.  One 
of  the  early  botanical  explorers  a hundred  years  ago  tells  of  the 
abundance  of  flame  lilies  (Lilium  umbellatum)  in  the  valley  of  a 
small  tributary  of  the  Knife  River.  He  said  that  the  little  valley, 
as  seen  from  a hilltop,  appeared  like  a scarlet  ribbon  winding  be- 
tween the  hills. 

The  yucca,  (Yucca  glauca)  or  Spanish  bayonet,  is  a stately 
and  beautiful  flower  which  abounds  on  the  Missouri  River  bluffs  and 
on  the  hills  of  the  western  part  of  the  state.  The  Mariposa  lily 
(Calochortus  nuttallii)  is  found  on  buttes  and  plateaus  of  the  Bad- 
lands. 

The  dainty  little  golden  star-like  flowers  of  hypoxis,  (Hypoxis 
hirsuta)  or  Star-of-Bethlehem,  may  be  found  among  the  grass  in 
moist  places,  as  also  the  pretty  little  starry  blue  flowers  of  the  so- 
called  “blue-eyed  grass,”  (Sisyrhinchium  mucronatum)  and  (Sisyrhin- 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS  9 

chium  campestre)  which  is  not  a grass  but  a plant  belonging  to  the 
Iris  family. 

The  cypripedium,  also  called  lady’s  slipper,  (Cypripedium  re- 
ginae)  or  moccasin  flower,  is  found  in  damp  woods  in  the  Turtle 
Mountains  and  in  the  Pembina  Mountains.  Lady’s-slippers  will  not 
succeed  in  cultivation  unless  great  care  is  taken  to  provide  condi- 
tions of  shade,  soil  moisture  and  richness  of  leaf  mold  like  the  na- 
tural conditions  where  they  are  found  growing  wild. 

Warning  should  be  given  by  all  who  love  natural  beauty,  against 
the  danger  of  extermination  which  menaces  our  native  wild  flowers. 
It  will  be  observed  that  already  none  or  very  few  of  our  native  flowers, 
especially  the  most  beautiful  and  most  prized  species,  are  to  be  found 
anywhere  in  walking  distance  of  any  town.  And  now  the  automobile 
has  greatly  extended  the  ravages  of  those  who  seem  bent  on  the 
utter  destruction  and  desolation  of  all  our  native  flowers.  They 
seem  determined  to  let  none  escape  alive,  to  perpetuate  their  kind, 
but  seek  and  snatch  all  they  can  find.  To  see  such  persons  gather- 
ing the  quantities  which  they  do  one  might  suppose  they  were  gather- 
ing them  not  as  flowers  but  as  fodder  for  cows. 

We  should  remember  that,  while  such  flowers  as  roses,  golden- 
rod  and  asters  may  be  gathered  with  no  danger  of  killing  the  plant, 
yet  that  with  many  species  the  plucking  of  the  flower  involves  the 
destruction  of  the  plant,  certainly  so  when  the  roots  are  disturbed 
by  pulling  up  the  flower.  And  bulbous  plants,  such  as  the  flame 
lily  are  inevitably  destroyed  if  the  flower  is  plucked.  So  if  we 
wish  to  conserve  the  wealth  we  have  in  our  native  flowers  we  must 
have  consideration  and  not  waste  them. 

We  must  know  that  the  complex  of  life  forms,  both  plant  and 
animal,  in  any  given  period  of  time  and  area  of  terrestrial  space  re- 
sults from  the  action  of  many  causes  and  forces,  physical  and  bio- 
logical, which  converge  at  the  given  time  and  place.  Some  of  these 
causes  lie  in  climatological  and  topographic  conditions  of  the  given 
region,  and  in  the  biological  complexes  of  neighboring  regions. 

In  the  long  passage  of  time  occupied  by  the  successive  geo- 
logical ages  since  the  final  emergence  from  the  sea  of  the  land  form- 
ing the  Great  Plains,  of  which  North  Dakota  is  a part,  there  have 
been  many  and  great  changes  of  physical  conditions  with  conse- 
quent great  changes  of  the  flora. 

At  the  present  time  the  Great  Plains  present  from  south  to 
north  a succession  of  floral  regions  through  mild  temperate,  tem- 
perate, boreal  to  arctic.  In  Tertiary  geological  time  a mild  climate 
was  enjoyed  over  nearly  all  of  North  America,  so  that  a subtropical 
flora  existed  over  all  the  Great  Plains  and  to  all  the  regions  east  and 
west  of  Hudson  Bay.  At  that  time  the  temperate,  boreal  and  arctric 
floral  zones  were  restricted  between  the  limit  just  indicated  and  the 
north  polar  ice  cap. 

Then  came  the  climatic  changes  incident  to  the  gradual  south- 
ward extension  of  the  polar  ice  cap,  wThich  we  call  the  glacial  age 
and  the  continental  glaciation  which  pushed  arctic  conditions  south- 
ward in  the  Great  Plains  to  a line  roughly  fifty  to  sixty  miles  to  the 
south  of  the  Missouri  River.  As  arctic  conditions  moved  southward, 
naturally  the  arctic,  boreal,  temperate  and  subtropical  floral  vegeta- 
tions retreated  southward  before  the  advancing  ice  fields.  While 
this  wholesale  compulsory  movement  of  the  vegetation  population 


10 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


produced  very  slight  effect  if  any  changes  upon  species  as  such,  it  did 
produce  a tremendous  reassortment  of  species  with  a consequently 
greatly  extended  area  of  many  species. 

As  the  successive  waves  of  vegetation,  temperate,  boreal  and 
arctic,  were  driven  southward  by  the  slow,  agelong  but  resistless  and 
relentless  southward  march  of  the  continental  ice  field  they  spread 
themselves  over  the  lands  to  the  southward.  Then,  when  the  ice 
field  had  made  its  farthest  advance  and  halted,  piling  up 
the  great  terminal  moraine,  which  in  North  Dakota  forms  the 
Plateau  du  Coteaux  du  Missouri  and  at  last  began  its  retreat,  it  left 
a great  denuded  area  where  its  field  of  ice  had  been,  and  where,  con- 
sequent to  the  melting  of  that  ice  there  had  resulted  a turmoil  of 
wild  rushing  waters,  violent  streams  and  great  lakes.  Finally  the 
great  volume  of  waters  subsided.  Small  streams  were  left  where 
great  streams  had  flowed;  and  the  lakes  diminished  in  extent,  leav- 
ing marshes  where  they  had  been. 

After  the  great  icefield  had  begun  its  final  northward  retreat 
the  zones  of  vegetation  again  returned  northward  across  North  Da- 
kota, marching  up  to  recover  the  ground  from  which  they  had  been 
driven  by  the  advancing  ice  thousands  of  years  before.  The  arctic 
vegetational  zone  had  doubtless  covered  the  southwest  part  of  our 
state,  beyond  the  farthest  advance  of  the  glacier,  and  now  it  first 
followed  after  the  retreat  of  the  ice  across  the  Missouri  River,  its 
plateau,  and  through  the  Turtle  Mountains  and  the  Pembina  Moun- 
tains. As  the  ice  still  retreated  the  arctic  vegetation  followed  after 
and  the  boreal  vegetation  closed  in  after  it,  followed  by  the  more 
hardy  species  of  the  temperate  vegetation  zone.  The  advancing 
armies  of  the  temperate  vegetation  zone  routed  the  boreal  species 
from  almost  all  of  North  Dakota  except  throughout  the  northern 
part,  as  they  had  already  driven  before  them  the  arctic  species.  At 
every  slight  elevation  the  boreal  species  were  able  to  maintain  them- 
selves for  a time,  but  were  finally  driven  from  all  but  some  of  the 
more  considerable  elevations,  where  a few  boreal  species  have  es- 
tablished themselves.  Notably  the  Killdeer  Mountains,  Turtle  Moun- 
tains and  Pembina  Mountains  are  such  strongholds  from  which  out- 
posts of  boreal  species  have  not  yet  been  dispossessed.  Some  of 
these  b’oreal  species  remaining  behind  in  situations  whose  altitude 
and  climatic  conditions  permit  them  to  maintain  themselves  are  the 
trembling  aspen,  the  balsam  poplar,  the  silver  berry,  the  paper 
birch,  the  beaked  hazel-nut,  the  bear  berry,  the  silver  berry  and  the 
eye-berry. 

In  the  onrush  of  the  host  of  species  of  the  temperate  vegeta- 
tional zone  which  crowded  out  most  of  the  boreal  species,  the  pasque 
flower,  which  is  boreal  in  habitat,  has  been  able  to  maintain  itself 
upon  the  hills  of  the  elevated  prairies  of  the  Great  Plains  throughout 
all  the  extent  of  North  Dakota,  and  even  in  South  Dakota,  which 
state  has  chosen  it  for  its  state  flower. 

There  are  two  sets  of  factors  concerned  in  the  distribution  of 
vegetation.  One  set  of  factors  lies  in  the  forms  of  plants,  especial- 
ly in  the  forms  of  the  parts  by  which  dissemination  is  accomplished, 
the  other  set  of  factors  lies  in  the  topographic  and  climatic  condi- 
tions. It  is  by  the  interaction  of  these  two  sets  of  factors  that  the 
vegetational  complex  of  any  region  is  determined.  Physiographical 
factors  may  be  by  nature  either  obstructive  or  conductive  in  their 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


11 


effect,  or  obstructive  to  certain  vegetation  forms  and  conductive 
to  other  forms.  The  lines  of  direction  of  movement  in  plant  mi- 
gration may  be  called  lines  of  stress.  Barriers  to  plant  migration, 
such  as  high  mountain  ranges,  regions  of  aridity,  or  very  wide  rivers 
lying  athwart  the  lines  of  stress  constitute  obstructive  physiographic 
factors;  while  rivers  flowing  parallel  with  the  line  of  stress  con- 
stitute conductive  factors. 

In  North  Dakota  the  principal  drainage  systems  are  two;  one 
to  the  northward  into  Hudson  Bay  by  way  of  the  Red  River  of  the 
North,  and  the  other  to  the  southward  by  way  of  the  Missouri  River 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  Besides  these  two  open  systems  there  is  the 
closed  drainage  system  into  Devils  Lake.  This  large  body  of  water, 
Devils  Lake,  being  without  outlet  is  salt. 

The  main  tributaries  of  both  the  Red  River  of  the  North  and 
the  Missouri  River  flow  into  the  master  streams  from  the  west. 
Thus  the  drainage  systems  of  the  state  are  mainly  parallel  with  the 
line  of  stress  of  migration  of  the  vegetation  zones  before  mentioned, 
namely,  the  arctic,  boreal  and  the  temperate.  The  tributary  streams 
of  the  two  main  drainage  systems,  flowing  as  they  do  from  west 
to  east,  constitute  secondary  lines  of  plant  migration  in  a west-east 
and  an  east-west  direction.  Reference  will  be  made  to  the  signi- 
ficance of  this  factor  farther  on.  The  line  of  the  Missouri  River 
deviates  from  the  north-south  line  by  being  from  northwest  to  south- 
east. 

Some  of  the  agents  in  the  dissemination  of  plants  are  wind,  wa- 
ter, animals  and  man.  Of  course  the  first  two  agents  have  been  active 
for  the  longest  time,  while  man’s  agency  in  plant  migration  has 
been  effective  for  but  a comparatively  short  period  of  recent  time 
in  vegetation  history.  But  man’s  agency  has  been  tremendous  and 
far-reaching,  and  in  some  aspects  ominous.  This  point  will  be  dis- 
cussed in  another  place. 

Plants  are  fitted  for  migration  by  various  organs  of  dissemina- 
tion. For  our  present  purpose  we  may  consider  mainly,  the  means 
of  distribution  by  fruits  and  seeds.  Some  plants  have  winged  seeds 
by  which  they  are  carried  down  the  wind,  as  the  elm,  ash,  birch 
and  boxelder,  pasque  flowers,  thistles,  asters,  etc.  Others,  such  as 
the  tumble-weeds,  are  suited  to  bodily  transportation  by  the  wind,  the 
entire  plant  body  breaking  loose  from  the  root  when  ripe,  and,  driven 
by  the  wind  shakes  out  its  seeds  all  along  its  course.  Other  plants 
have  hooked  or  spiny  fruits,  as  the  burs,  which  attach  themselves 
to  feathers  of  birds,  wool,  hair  and  fur  of  animals  and  clothing  of 
men  and  so  are  transported  to  new  localities. 

Nuts  and  various  kinds  of  fruits  and  seeds  are  sought  for  food 
by  animals  and  so  are  carried  away,  some  escaping  destruction  and, 
happening  to  find  places  suitable  for  germination,  perpetuate  their 
species  in  new  situtions. 

The  course  of  migration  of  plants  from  the  original  home  is  to 
some  extent  in  all  directions,  but  in  large  part  will  depend  upon  the 
agent  of  dissemination/  If  this  agent  be  the  wind  the  direction  of 
migration  may  be  definitely  in  one  direction,  the  direction  of  sea- 
sonal winds  at  the  season  of  seed  maturing.  If  the  disseminating 
agency  be  the  movements  of  animals  which  carry  the  fruits  or  seeds 
the  direction  will  be  determined  by  their  movements.  Naturally  an- 
imals are  limited  in  their  movements  by  the  presence  or  absence  of 


12 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


water,  hence  they,  and  the  plant  species  depending  upon  them  for 
transportation,  will  move  more  freely  along  the  course  of  streams. 
Thus  the  natural  drainage  systems  of  North  Dakota  have  determined 
the  lines  of  stress  in  plant  migration. 

The  main  physiographic  regions  of  North  Dakota  are  three; 
these  are  in  order  from  east  to  west  and  increasing  altitude  from 
low  to  high,  the  valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  the  Drift 
Prairie,  and  the  High  Plains. 

The  Red  River  valley  is  a plain  resulting  from  the  draining  out 
of  the  waters  of  the  glacial  Lake  Agassiz  after  the  recession 
of  the  ice  field  to  the  north.  The  boundary  between  the  Red  River 
valley  and  the  Drift  Prairie  on  the  west  is  a slope  rising  from  three 
hundred  to  five  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  valley.  This 
difference  in  levels  is  greater  at  the  north,  for  of  course  the  valley 
is  deeper  at  the  north,  the  river  flowing  in  that  direction.  The  boun- 
dary between  the  Drift  Prairie  and  the  High  Plains  is  another  slope 
trending  diagonally  across  the  state  from  southeast  to  northwest. 
This  is  the  Plateau  du  Coteaux  du  Missouri.  These  three  plains  lie 
at  three  general  levels,  the  first  at  less  than  one  thousand  feet,  the 
second  at  fifteen  hundred  to  eighteen  hundred  and  the  third  at  eight- 
een hundred  to  twenty-seven  hundred  feet  above  sea  level. 

These  differences  of  altitude,  together  with  differences  of  soil 
owing  to  different  causes  in  the  formation  of  the  soils,  and  differences 
in  amount  of  rainfall  have  brought  about  characteristic  differences 
in  vegetation  formations  in  these  three  areas. 

Mainly  because  of  more  generous  rainfall  in  the  eastern  and 
northeastern  part  of  the  state  that  region  has  more  timbered  areas 
than  any  other  parts,  though  even  there  the  timber  is  mainly  restrict- 
ed to  the  stream  valleys,  lake  shores  and  to  the  gorges  of  the 
Pembina  Mountains  and  the  immediate  vicinity  of  these  gorges  and 
the  mountain  sides.  The  area  of  the  Turtle  Mountains  is  forested 
throughout.  In  the  Drift  Prairie  region  the  timber  is  strictly  con- 
fined to  lake  shores  and  stream  beds.  In  the  High  Plains  region 
timber  growth  is  still  more  restricted  and  more  stunted  in  growth 
where  it  does  occur.  In  this  region  many  streams  are  without  tim- 
ber except  in  the  protection  of  cutbanks.  In  the  Bad  Lands  and 
upon  many  of  the  most  exposed  buttes  a species  of  juniper,  the 
creeping  juniper,  (Juniperus  horizontalis)  is  found.  This  is  a 
species  of  juniper  tree  which  is  reduced  in  habit,  correlated  with 
its  very  arid  situation,  to  creeping  closely  recumbent  upon  the  sur- 
face, forming  close,  firm  mats  upon  the  rocks  and  arid  soil. 

In  the  Bad  Lands  cottonwoods,  (Populus  sargentii)  willows,  and 
boxelder  (Acer  negundo)  are  commonly  found  along  streams  near 
to  the  water.  On  the  hills  the  bull  pine,  (Pinus  scopulorum)  red  ce- 
dar, (Juniperus  scopulorum)  scrub  cedar  (Juniperus  communis)  and 
ground  cedar  or  ground  juniper  (Juniperus  horizontalis)  are  dom- 
inant. In  some  valleys  of  the  Bad  Lands  sage  brush  of  three  species 
is  the  dominant  growth. 

The  prairies  of  North  Dakota  may  be  classified  as  of  two  kinds. 
In  the  more  moist  eastern  portion  of  the  state  the  dominant  na- 
tive grasses  are  the  big  blue-stem  or  blue-joint  (Andropogon  fur- 
catus)  and  the  tall  coarse  cordgrass  or  slough  glass  (Spartina  mich- 
auxiana)  the  latter  grass  being  dominant  in  all  the  swales.  In 
some  of  the  drier  situations  the  little  blue-stem  grass  (Andropogon 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS  13 

scoparius)  abounds.  This  grass  is  sometimes  called  broom  blue- 
stem  and  sometimes  bunch  grass  because  of  its  habit  of  growth. 

On  the  High  Plains  the  dominant  grasses  are  grama  grass 
(Bouteloua  oligostachya)  on  the  high  levels  and  little  blue-stem  on 
the  hillsides.  Big  blue-stem  is  found  in  the  High  Plains  region  only 
on  the  Missouri  River  flood  plain  and  in  the  moister  ravines. 

To  one  who  travels  from  the  middle  prairie  states  or  from  the 
eastern  part  of  this  state  westward  to  and  across  the  High  Plains 
region  the  most  striking  characteristic  of  the  landscape  will  be 
the  change  in  the  appearance  of  the  vegetation,  especially  with  re- 
spect to  color.  As  he  comes  upon  the  High  Plains  he  will  note  that 
the  dominant  color  effect  of  the  vegetation  is  no  longer  vividly  green, 
but  becomes  more  and  more  grayish,  so  that  now  in  the  height  of 
the  growing  season  here  the  sum  of  color  tones  from  the  native 
vegetation  amounts  to  an  effect  of  gray-green.  This  color  effect 
results  from  the  ecological  correlation  of  the  native  plants  to  the 
physical  conditions  of  their  environment.  The  controlling  condi- 
tions of  the  region  are  a low  degree  of  humidity  of  the  air;  small 
amount  of  precipitation  of  moisture,  together  with  prolonged  sun- 
shine and  prevalent  high  winds.  To  this  set  of  conditions  the  na- 
tive plants  have  responded  by  morphological  adaptation.  The  plant 
structures  of  the  native  species  have  been  modified  in  ways  conduc- 
ive to  conservation  of  moisture.  One  modification  to  this  end  has 
been  the  thickening  of  the  epidermis  ; another  has  been  by  producing 
a growth  of  hairs  or  down  over  all  the  respiratory  parts  of  the 
plant.  Both  these  devices  tend  to  mask  the  green  matter  in  the 
plant  body,  hence  their  whitish  or  grayish  appearance.  All  plants 
of  the  semi-arid  and  arid  regions  of  the  High  Plains  manifest  this 
characteristic,  especially  such  species  as  the  sage  brush  (Artemisia 
cana)  and  wild  sage,  (Artemisia  gnaphalodes)  and  (Artemisia  frigida) 
tipsin,  (Psoralea  esculenta)  gaillardia,  the  psoralea  which  is  some- 
times called  prairie  clover,  (Psoralea  lanceolata)  the  false  red  mal- 
low, (Malvastrum  coccineum)  and  numerous  other  species.  Even 
the  grasses  of  this  habitat  are  hairy  and  hence  grayish  in  appear- 
ance. It  is  for  this  reason  that  one  who  has  been  accustomed  to  a 
region  of  more  generous  rainfall  and  of  moisture  content  in  the  air, 
feels  a sort  of  homesickness,  after  some  time  on  the  High  Plains 
seeing  day  after  day  its  comparatively  dull  prospect  of  grayness,  for 
the  bright-colored  prairie  flowers  and  the  emerald  green  of  the 
grasses  of  the  big  blue-stem  prairies. 

Very  many  species  of  plants  have  migrated  into  the  region  of 
North  Dakota  from  the  east,  moving  northward  and  westward  along 
the  courses  of  streams,  flowing  down  tributary  streams  rising  on  the 
Allegheny  side  of  the  Mississippi  River  drainage  basin,  and  then 
following  up  tributaries  rising  in  the  Great  Plains.  Thus  they  have 
found  their  way  into  North  Dakota  and  have  migrated  westward 
along  the  courses  of  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  River  which  come 
from  the  west.  These  same  western  tributaries  of  the  Missouri  have 
been  also  the  routes  of  migration  of  other  species  of  plants  which 
had  their  origin  in  the  western  border  of  the  Great  Plains,  in  the 
region  touching  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

An  example  of  one  such  species  is  the  buffalo  berry.  This 
shrub  has  followed  down  the  courses  of  all  the  eastward-flowing 
rivers  from  its  original  area  in  the  foothills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


1 4 NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 

The  agency  of  man  in  plant  migration  is  obvious  in  a number 
of  ways,  both  in  designed  and  undesigned  effects.  Migration  of 
plants  by  man's  design  has  been  mentioned  already  in  the  case  of 
the  introduction  of  plants  native  to  the  tropics  as  crops  grown  by 
the  aboriginal  tribes  of  this  region,  namely,  corn,  beans,  squashes 
and  pumpkins  and  tobacco. 

Certain  other  species  of  plants  were  probably  introduced  by 
design  and  others  probably  undesignedly  were  widely  distributed  by 
the  aboriginal  tribes.  Calamus,  or  sweet  flag,  (Acorus  calamus)  is 
very  common  in  the  eastern  states  but  rare  in  the  Great  Plains  re- 
gion, though  it  is  found  in  some  places,  these  places  being  few 
and  far  apart.  The  plant  is  highly  valued  by  Indians  of  all  tribes. 
Each  place  where  it  is  found  in  the  Great  Plains  is  well  known  to 
all  the  tribes  far  around.  There  is  a marshy  place  in  the  Mouse 
River  valley  west  of  Towner,  North  Dakota,  in  which  there  is  a 
considerable  tract  of  calamus  growing.  This  tract  is  well  known  to 
surrounding  tribes.  It  appears  probable  that  long  ago  Indian  priests 
and  doctors  purposely  introduced  and  set  the  plant  in  the  locali- 
ties in  the  Great  Plains  where  it  is  now  found  so  far  from  its 
range. 

As  was  said  before,  the  buffalo  berry  appears  to  be  indigenous 
in  the  region  of  the  foothills  along  the  east  slope  of  the  Rock  Moun- 
tains, and  has  migrated  eastward  along  the  courses  of  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Missouri  River  as  far  as  to  the  master  stream.  The 
broad  region  of  the  Coteaux  du  Plateau  du  Missouri  is  a natural 
barrier  to  this  shrub,  and  it  is  not  found  upon  or  beyond  the  Pla- 
teau except  in  a few  places.  These  places  are  the-  locations  of  old 
camping  sites  of  the  tribes  east  of  the  Plateau  on  their  way  going 
to  and  returning  from  excursions  for  hunting  and  trading  in  the 
region  of  the  Missouri  River  and  beyond,  where  the  buffalo  berry 
abounds.  It  is  quite  conceivable  that  parties  returning  brought 
with  them  supplies  of  this  much  prized  fruit,  and  that  it  became 
disseminated  at  their  camping  places.  The  isolated  places  where  it 
is  thus  found  far  outside  of  its  range  are  on  the  south  side  of 
Devils  Lake,  at  places  in  the  Pembina  Mountains,  and  on  the  Shey- 
enne  River  near  Valley  City.  All  these  places  are  in  the  vicinity 
of  old  time  camping  sites  along  aboriginal  routes  of  travel. 

Since  the  coming  of  white  men  many  species  of  plants  native 
in  the  Old  World  have  been  brought  and  planted  in  North  Dakota 
by  immigrants.  All  our  field  and  garden  crops  except  those  here- 
tofore mentioned  as  having  been  derived  from  Indian  cultivators, 
have  been  brought  from  the  Old  World.  And  almost  all  our  trou- 
blesome weeds  are  also  from  the  Old  World,  and  are  examples  of  the 
agency  of  man  in  the  migration  of  plants  even  when  not  by  his 
design.  . . 

The  so-called  Russian  thistle  (Salsola  kali)  which  by  the  way 
is  not  at  all  related  to  thistles,  and  not  at  all  like  thistles,  is  one 
such  weed,  the  time  and  place  of  whose  first  appearance  in  America 
is  well  known.  In  1887,  at  Scotland,  Bonhomme  County,  South 
Dakota,  this  weed  first  appeared  in  a crop  of  flax,  the  seed  of  which 
came  from  Russia.  Since  that  time  the  weed  has  spread  far  and 
wide  in  all  the  arid  and  semi-arid  regions. 

Other  well  known  weeds  which  have  accompanied  the  white 
man,  and  have  settled  with  him  in  his  new  home  in  America  and 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


15 


in  our  own  state,  are  the  dandelion,  (Leontodon  taraxacum)  pigeon 
grass  or  foxtail  grass,  (Chaetochloa  viridis)  purslane,  (Portulaca 
oleracea)  catnip,  (Nepeta  cataria)  curled  dock,  (Rumex  crispus) 
lamb’s  quarter,  (Chenopodium  alba)  barnyard  grass,  (Echinochloa 
crus-galli)  mallow,  (Malva  rotundifolia)  pigweed,  (Amaranthus  sp.) 
chickweed,  (Alsine  sp.)  Mayweed,  (Authemis  cotula)  black  mustard, 
(Brassica  nigra)  shepherd’s  purse,  (Bursa  bursa-pastoris)  corn  cockle 
(Agrostemma  gitbago)  corn  flower,  (Centaurea  cyanus)  burdock, 
(Arctium  minus)  mullein,  (Verbascum  thapsus)  butter-and-eggs, 
(Linaria  linaria)  sweet  clover,  (Melilotus  alba)  and  (Melilotus  of- 
ficinalis) hop  clover  or  shamrock,  (Medicago  lupulina)  hedge  mus- 
tard, (Sisymbrium  officinale)  tumbling  mustard,  (Sisymbrium  altis- 
simum)  French  weed,  (Thlaspi  arvense)  sow-thistle,  (Sonchus  ar- 
vensis)  and  many  others. 

These  introduced  weeds  have  come  by  seed  in  grain  and  grass 
seed  and  in  the  seed  of  other  forage,  field  and  garden  crops,  and  in 
hay,  and  have  traveled  along  the  railways  and  other  common  routes 
of  travel.  After  becoming  established  in  any  place  they  increase 
because  of  indifferent  and  slovenly  methods  of  farming. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  vegetation  which  Nature  required 
thousands  of  years  to  establish  may  in  a short  time  be  changed  or 
ruined  by  the  acts  of  man,  and  Nature  would  require  the  lifetime 
measure  of  hundreds  of  generations  of  mankind  to  restore  what 
one  man  by  stupidity  or  carelessness  or  avariciousness  may  spoil  in 
a little  time.  Thus  by  overgrazing  a tract  of  good  grazing  land  the 
grasses  may  be  depleted  and  in  their  stead  the  land  become  infested 
with  weeds.  And  especially  harmful  is  the  overgrazing  of  stream 
valleys  with  strips  of  trees  and  shrubs  along  the  stream.  In  such 
case  the  cattle  trample  and  destroy  the  growth  of  the  trees  and 
shrubs  and  it  becomes  merely  a breeding  place  of  foul  weeds  which 
are  a menace  to  all  the  surrounding  farming  land. 

It  should  be  the  purpose  of  us  all  to  refrain  from  overthrowing 
the  balance  of  nature,  and  to  do  all  we  can  to  maintain  that  balance, 
which  is  so  delicately  adjusted  that  when  destroyed  we  never  can 
tell  what  unforeseen  evils  may  follow  in  train. 


NORTH  DAKOTA  VEGETATION 
Of  Statewide  Distribution 

Trees: 

Willows,  various  species,  cottonwoods,  boxelder,  ash,  elm,  bur 
oak. 

Shrubs: 

Wild  red  raspberry,  prairie  wild  rose,  saskatoon  or  June-berry, 
haw-thorn  or  thorn-apple,  wild  plum,  chokecherry  or  Rocky 
Mountain  cherry,  wild  black  currant,  wild  gooseberry,  kinnik- 
innick,  sheep-berry,  wdlf -berry  or  buck-brush,  honey  suckle. 

Vines: 

Clematis  or  virgin’s  bower,  moonseed,  bittersweet,  hop,  wild 
grape.  Virginia  creeper. 

Herbaceous  Flowering  Plants: 

Anemone,  pasque  flower,  violets,  several  species.  Monarda, 
strawberry,  buffalo  pea,  ground  bean,  prairie  clover,  gaura, 


ir, 


3 0112  105658352 


NORTH  DAKOTA  PLANTS 


bluebell,  blazing  star,  boltonia,  aster,  several  species.  Black- 
eyed  Susan,  wild  golden-glow,  purple  cone-flower,  goldenrod, 
several  species.  Common  sunflower,  Maximilian’s  sunflower, 
prairie  thistle,  spiderwort,  fire  lily  or  flame  lily. 

Grasses: 

Big  blue-stem,  little  blue-stem,  sweet  grass,  grama  grass. 

Only  or  Mainly  in  Valley  of  the  Red  River  of  the  North,  Pembina 
Mountains,  Turtle  Mountains,  and  Region  of  Devils  Lake. 
Trees: 

Linden  or  basswood,  balsam  popler,  trembling  aspen,  ironwood, 
paper  birch. 

Shrubs: 

Bear  berry,  eye  berry,  wood  wild  rose,  pin  cherry,  wild  red 
currant,  silver  berry,  smooth  sumac,  hazelnut,  speckled  alder, 
pembina  berry. 

Herbaceous  Flowering  Plants: 

Wild  columbine,  shooting  star,  gentian,  yellow  star-flower,  or 
star-of-Bethlehem,  lady’s  slipper  or  moccasin  flower. 

Only  or  Mainly  in  Missouri  River  Valley. 

Shrubs: 

Buffalo  berry. 

Note:  Many  trees,  shrubs,  vines  and  flowering  plants  of  oth- 
er regions  are  here  also  found. 

Region  of  the  High  Plain. 

Herbaceous  Flowering  Plants: 

False  red  mallow,  bee  balm,  wild  blue  flax,  pentstemon,  several 
species.  Mertensia,  puccoon,  lupines,  ball  cactus,  prickly  pear, 
wild  sage,  yucca. 

Only  or  Mainly  in  Bad  Lands. 

Trees: 

Bull  pine,  red  cedar. 

Shrubs: 

Buffalo  berry,  aromatic  sumac. 

Herbaceous  Flowering  Plants: 

Yucca,  ball  cactus,  prickly  pear. 

Above  is  the  list  of  the  principal  trees,  shrubs,  flowering  plants 
and  grasses,  in  their  several  regions  of  distribution. 


■ - ■ 


